Chicago Chicken City

"First time trying their chicken, and I personally feel it's nicer than KFC!"

Walked past many times and hesitated to try it, but finally did and regret not trying it sooner! Ordered takeaway: the 3-piece chicken set and burger crispy combo. We tried the fries while still at the shop, as they were finger-licking good! The fries are the kind similar to those in western countries: thick fries with a taste of real potato. They were so nice that we even ordered another order of fries a la carte. We finished the fries before even reaching the carpark! The burger was another unexpectedly awesome item. Just look at the size of the patty! Not to mention, the taste is nicer than other fast food chains. The patty is crispy, with less skin/batter, and the taste is unique. With its size, it's definitely enough to fill your stomach, or can even be shared by two people for a light meal. In fact, we loved the burger more than the fried chicken. The fried chicken also has less batter/skin, and we felt it was nicer than other fast food chains too. They also serve free-flow drinks there.

I was hesitant to try this place due to the many negative reviews from a year ago. But I'm so glad I gave it a try, as the reviews in recent months have been good. The chicken was absolutely tender and soft, and the best part was that it was served hot. The portion size was generous, and the drinks were refillable. The service was excellent; although the staff didn't speak much English, they still provided me with a smile while taking my order. This is definitely a good fast food restaurant.

2 Piece Chicken Meal Combo = RM20.95 Comes with 2 Pieces of Chicken, Sides, 1 Drink No Additional Service Charge This is a brightly colored, big, spacious, and cleanly maintained fried chicken fast food outlet. The staff are friendly and bubbly, and they even greeted and welcomed me right at the entrance. Unlimited Free Refills of Drink and a Slight Initial Goof Up. Their soft drinks are unlimited free flow from their drink dispenser, which is such a rarity in today's fast food outlets. There was an initial goof up as the machine only dispensed carbonated water. Perhaps the staff noticed when I was having trouble; it was swiftly rectified without me needing to remind them. 2 Piece Chicken Meal Combo = RM20.95 Comes with 2 Pieces of Chicken, Sides, 1 Drink You have a choice of Original or Spicy, and I chose one of each to try. I don't know if I was lucky or not, but the pieces they gave me that day were huge! Not counting the large breast piece that I got, I thought even their drumstick was larger and meatier compared to a lot of other fried chicken outlets. Original Fried Chicken The batter and skin is the thickish type, similar to SG KFC's Crispy Version. There is a nice salty seasoning aroma that permeates the whole chicken. This seasoning smells and tastes somewhat like some instant noodle seasoning pack that I think I've eaten before, and not in a bad way. This was a huge, big, fat, meaty piece I got, and even though it was breast meat, it was so juicy to the bite. Not overly oily, this fried chicken does not drip oil all over the place. Also not overly salty, and not overly "chickeny," the salted seasoning they used remained throughout the fried chicken and never overstayed its welcome. This is a very decent tasting fried chicken that definitely punches above its weight level. Spicy Fried Chicken I got a chicken drumstick for the Spicy Version, and although normally people don't like drumsticks or wings because they're considered smaller cuts, I am impressed with how meaty this drumstick was. It uses the same salted seasoning base as their Original, but this time there is a slight hit of spiciness. It's not our SG McSpicy type of spicy, but is much more mild and eases you in comfortably instead of trying to slap you in the face. Not bad tasting. Sides: Mashed Potato and Coleslaw For sides, you can actually have a choice of either Fried Rice or Mash Potato/Coleslaw Combo, and I chose the latter. The mashed potato has a similar taste profile to most other fast food offerings. Decent and acceptable. I thought the brown sauce felt slightly thicker and viscous. If you enjoy KFC type of mashed potato, you'll probably like this too. The coleslaw was very standard and acceptable and didn't have a raw veggie taste. I prefer this one because I thought it has slightly more veggie sweetness with bigger pieces of veggies to crunch compared to SG KFC version, which is usually diced into small bits. Again, if you are okay with KFC type of coleslaw, you'll probably like this too. Conclusion and Closing Thoughts At a total combined price of RM20.95 (S$6.32) for a standard 2-piece chicken meal, this is more affordable than KFC's 2-piece meal at S$9.80, especially when this place offers unlimited free drink refills. Truth be told, I did not have any high expectations when I first stepped into this place, but many things just impressed me very much. The quality of fried chicken is decent and big, fat, meaty, and juicy. Maybe I was lucky that day, but the pieces I got were really big and solid. It was a very satisfying meal, and I never felt any oily "jelak." What impressed me even more were the staff who were really bubbly, friendly, and welcoming. Even though there was an initial goof up with the drink dispenser, I was happy that it was rectified quickly without me reminding them. To me, this tells me that the staff are observant and quick to rectify issues. Thanks for reading. Come join my Facebook Food Blog: "A Solo Singaporean's Guide to JB Foods (And More!)" to view the full review with photos.

"Nice place to hang out and gather with family; we can also celebrate any party here. The chicken is freshly cooked, and the new Big Dip Tenders menu is very juicy. You can choose three types of sauces (you should try them!). My rate: 10/10"